Alumni Corner

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Part of Forestry Leaves

Title: Alumni Corner
Language: English
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Fulltext: • • BRIEF HISTORY AND WHEREABOUTS OF THE MEMBERS OF RANGER CLASS-1922 Forester F. ]UCABAN As far as I can recall, students numbering over 24 from different provinces of the Islands arrived on the Campus of the Forest School in April of 1920, then a solitary and very lonely place. In the evenings after the Botany Class, one would hear nothing but the grim hooting of the owl and the chirping of insects around the quarters, and in the early mornings. the melodious calls of orioles and red-breasted doves. Four or five students, perhaps because of the loneliness of the place could no longer resist the call of the gay city and, resigning, left for Manila to pursue other studies. After the first semester of the Freshmen year, several members had to quit schooling because of poor scholastic work and this was due not to poor mental ability but due to the loneliness of the campus, which aggravated their homesickness. To this the strict regulations on gardening which obliged everyone to get up before dawn to do vegetable planting behind their quarters obliged some to go home. The arrival of the Senior students (Class of 1921) from their summer camping at the beginning of the regular course helped dispel the loneliness on the campus. The Senior students were assigned to room with the Freshmen, and the stories of hardships told by them to the lower classmen somewhat relieved these of their worries and fears. The attractions offered after graduation, such as being appointed as regular civil service employees and the vacation to their respective homes and after which their reporting to duty at government expense as well as their assignment to other provinces perhaps have done much to keep the Freshmen from quiting their studies. As far as I can remember, the class of 1922 was graduated with 24 members who were later mostly distributed to different provinces by the Bureau except those selected to work in the Central Office. After two years of service as required by contract, the first to resign, as far as I can remember, was the late Primo Icarangal, who, spurred by his ambition, went to the United States to pursue higher education in Forestry. unkind to him and he died there. But fate was The next one was Ranger Lemos, the wood technologist of the class and first honorable mention, who, as far as I know, got his degree in the United States and up to the present is still there and from what I hear has no desire to come home. In the course of time from 1922 to the present, many incidents took place. Two members of the class, Apostol Mendoza and Marcelo Udarbe, during the Senior course were appointed North Bornean pensionados for the British North Borneo Forest Service. Pedro Gimeno was also a member of class '22. Up to the present their whereabouts are unknown. Before the war Ranger Perfecto Adamos transferred to the Bureau of Internal Revenue, and has not been heard from ever since. Ranger Constantino Rabaya, the "giant" and medalist of the class, is now with the M.R.R. His resignation from the Bureau turned to be a "bless-. ing in disguise". At present he is still with the Company, holding an enviable and lucrative position. Prudencio Florido was with a private lumber company in the Bicol region. Nothing was heard from him after the war, but according to information he is now in the Naval Researvation in Cavite. Ranger Balbino Viado, second honor student, was assigned to Negros Occidental after graduation where he married and now is a happy and proud father of a big family. Ranger Luis Batica, the class Samson had been an Assistant Logging Superintendent of the Sta. Cecilia Sawmills at Tagkawayan, Quezon, but the Creator called him a year ago. Ranger Joaquin Estrada, "Cervantes" of the class, died due to a foot infection. Ranger Norberto Denoga, quiet and reserved, was the first member of the Ranger Class of 1922 who was favored with an appointm-ent as Belo Boy. He graduated (B.S.F.) in 1935 and is at present holding a respectable and paying position in the University of the Philippines Land Grant in Basilan. The second man to get the same distinction *ED. NOTE: This article was sent in by Alumnus ]ucaban '22. May this serve as a starter and it is hoped that the other classes will follow suit. GRADUATION ISSUE, 1957 Page 47 was Ranger Rafael Quidilla, the class "Caruso". He graduated with the Bachelor of Science in Forestry degree in 1940 and was assigned District Forester at Calapan, Mindoro. He now works in the Central Office. The third one is the humble writer, nicknamed "Jap", Graduated B.S.F. in 1942, and is at present District Forester at Sta. Cruz, Laguna. The fourth one was Lorenzo Diaz, graduated B.S.F. in 1949. He was appointed as Assistant Forester and Administratve Officer at Basilan City. Atty. F'io Salomon had been the Disbursing and Collecting Officer of the Bureau before the war and during the Japanese regime. During the liberation, he resigned to try his luck with a private firm. At present he is back with the Bureau as Senior Ranger. Other members of Class 1922 who are still with the Bureau are Supervising Ranger Scaler Tomas Roboy, Surigao Headquarters; Senior Ranger Eulogio Dres is Acting Jr. Forester and the Administrative Officer, District No. 13, Manila; Senior Ranger Pablo Umadhay, the quietest and shortest in the class, is now with the L.C. Party; Acting Jr. Forester Cornelio Miguel, Administrative Officer, Puerto Princess, Palawan, and authorized Asst. Lumber Inspector; and Ranger Aquilino Porcincula, the class grand old man, is at Iloilo Headquarters. I still cannot forget Juan Pacheco, Victor LaCompliments of: ra and Andres Matias. Pacheco's present whereabouts and position are unknown; the last have passed into the great beyond. Nine out of the 24 members of the Class of 1922 are at present still with the Bureau. Only espirit de corps has kept these men in the Bureau, inspite of the slow promotion and low pay. These nine will perhaps spend the rest of their still remaining strength with the Bureau until they reach the retirement age. Because of lack of records (destroyed during the chaos of World War 11), many of the members of class 1922 were left out in this write-up. Those who are still living and who may happen to read this short history and may know the whereabouts of the members of class 1922, are requested to communicate with the writer so as to complete this class record. We have nothing but deep appreciation and heartfelt thanks for our professors and instructors. In those old days the absence of the fair sex and social activities have m~de our stay on the campus full of nostalgia. And what made us occasionally forget our homesickness was when we "sweated" it out from head to feet during Saturdays with our inseparable mattocks, bolos and self-laundered Makiling Palm Beach brushing the campus, making trails, digging up stumps and measuring tree growths, etc. etc. etc. (Continued on page 86) NASIPIT LUMBER COMPANY, INC. I i ANAKAN LUMBER COMPANY AGUSAN TIMBER CORPORATION ASSOCIATED PULP AND PAPER CO., INC. Producers • Manufactures • Exporters PlflLIPPINE MAHOGANY LOGS AND LUMBER CREOSOTED LUMBER, POLES AND PILINGS Members: Main Olfices: 3rd Floor Fernandez Hnos. Bldg. 205 Juan Luna Manila Philippine Lumber Producers' Association, Inc. AND Tel. Nos. -2-96-66, Local 6 2-69-74 2-92-50 PHILIPPINE WALLBOARD CORPORATION Main Office: R-311 Maritima Bldg. 119 Dasmarinas St. Manila Manufacturer & Exporter LAUANITE WALLBOARDS U. S. Information Service: Jordan Pacific Company 444 Market Street San Francisco 11 C~lifomia, U.S.A. Tel.- Nos. 2-69-66, Local 24 2-69-63 GT-3-749 Cable Address: '~NASIPIT MANILA" "ANAKAN MANILA" Page 48 FORESTRY LEAVES